Babysitting Adventures!

I've been meaning to blog all week but this week has been exhausting! Work has been crazy since Walgreen's bought out Rite-aid in Southeast Idaho and the work load has doubled. I've been exhausted everyday when I have come home from work. Today I slept in until almost 11 AM and I never do that! I felt so good all day but I've been a lazy bum!

Last weekend I babysat Katie's girls, Emma and Aubree. Ben had been working overnight all last week and Wednesday night was supposed to be his last night. However, he was behind four hours so they had him work 8 hours Wednesday night and then wanted him to work four hours Thursday night. He knew he had to help me babysit so he was planning to go straight to bed when he got home at about 2 AM. Well....the other overnight members did not do their job and so Ben ended up staying until 5 AM doing their jobs. Ben could not go to bed because he had to work the next day (Saturday) since he was done with the overnight shifts. He wanted to be able to be awake and functioning for work. So he went to play basketball and then he went golfing at 1 PM. I had to work late that day so I went to work at 1 and then got off at 10. Ben had texted me earlier telling me to pray for him to get home safely...I thought to myself...oh no! This means he is very very very tired! I prayed and he got home safely.

When I came home and tried to wake him up to go to Katie's house ....he acted weird! First of all...the apartment radiated with heat! I'm serious! I opened the front door and this burst of heat came out of my face! All the lights were on and the computer was on. I walked into the bedroom and there was Ben sleeping on the bed with our big comforter on top of him! Those of you who know Ben...he hates and absolutely does not like being hot. I thought to myself, "Ben has got to be roasting under those covers!!" I tried to take them off...much to my atonishment, Ben sat up in bed and grabbed the covers back from me! Ben was soaking wet with sweat! I tried again and Ben sat up and looked at me with a look that scared me! He acted like he didn't even know who I was. I asked him if he was hot and he looked so confused. He laid back down and went back to sleep....at this point I knew I was doomed to sleep at Katie's house by myself!

Admist all this, my mom texted me and asked me if Ben was going to sleep with me at Katie's. I told her that I did not think Ben would wake up since he was out of it. She asked if I wanted her to come over and stay the night with me. I was so relieved and told her to please please come! I packed up all my clothes and jumped into the Tahoe...which I say was a whole new experience for me driving! (Katie and I traded cars for gas reasons...her Tahoe guzzles gas and my Cobalt has good gas mileage - 30 to 35 mpg)

I got to Katie's at about 11 and Nicole who had come to watch the girls since I had to work late and Katie and Kyle wanted to hit the road as soon as Kyle got off work. My mom got there shortly and we both went to bed. I kept dreaming all night that the girls woke up and I wouldn't wake up. Needless to say...I did not sleep very good due to my paranoid self bothering me. At 7:30, I felt a bump on the bed and I woke up to this sweet little face of Emma's. Both Aubree and Emma seemed suprised to see Aunt Chennelle and Grandma! My mom then left shortly after that and left me all alone. I was hoping I would not be alone for long since I hoped that Ben would come and help me until he had to go to work at 2. I admit I was very nervous because I just don't trust myself especially with communicating. A cute little story...before my mom left, I decided it would be a good idea to put my hearing aids in so I could hear the girls. Emma saw me put my hearing aids in and said (as translated to me by Mom), "I don't have those earrings! I have these (while pointing to her earrings) but not THOSE earrings!" I just laughed! Her tone of voice sounded like she was jealous! I almost told her that she should be glad she has the earrings she has!

I let Emma and Aubree watch a short movie when I went and showered....how do you moms shower if your kids are awake? I know they say not to have your t.v. babysit the kids...but...oh well! I had to hurry so fast because I was afraid that something would happen and I wouldn't hear it because I didn't have my hearing aids (my mom says that you can't really hear anything when you are showering....the water is too loud...of course I didn't know that! ha!). The whole day was pretty much feeding them breakfast...going outside and playing...coming back in the house...going back outside...coming back in and feeding them lunch....putting Aubree down for a nap....Emma had quiet time...I cleaned up lunch's mess....I also sat and rested ...I was so tired already! Emma came in and helped me put the dishes away from the dish washer...she is a good little helper! Especially since I didn't know where most of the dishes were! She also helped me load the dish washer.

Oh...another story! I went out to water Katie's tomato plants on the deck and Emma and Aubree followed me around when I was watering the plants. I went back in the house for a second and then went back outside. Emma said, "The water melted! Where did it go?" I had to laugh to myself and told her that just like Emma needs a drink of water, the plants need a drink and it just goes down like water goes down her throat. I don't know if I explained it very well but...I tried. It seemed to sastify her since she didn't say anything after.

When Aubree woke up, I took the girls over to Andrea's house to play with her twin boys. I then went back home and Aubree did not want to leave. I tried to get her in the car seat and she screamed and cried the whole way home. I asked Emma to sing a song hoping that it would calm Aubree down (I tried to sing I'm a Child of God and she stopped, but then started crying again) and I'm driving the whole way home to screaming and singing...which was interesting! Once I had Aubree out of the car seat, she was happy! I don't think Aubree felt good either...her throat must have hurt and her nose was runny all day. She wanted to be held a lot as well.

I fixed Macaroni and Cheese for dinner...sorry...I know I'm a big health freak and I told myself I would never fix my children Macaroni and Cheese...but...it was hard mostly because Aubree wanted me to hold her and Mac and Cheese seemed like something easy and fast since I could tell Aubree was hungry. Emma helped me set the table and we ate dinner. After dinner, I can't remember what we did until 7...because I gave them a bath at 7. Emma told me that Aubree and her could not take a bath together because they both share a room. I didn't know how that worked but...I let Emma take a bath by herself which was hard because Aubree kept trying to get in with her clothes on!

After the baths...we still had 30 minutes until bed time so I didn't know what to do. Emma begged to go outside and after a few minutes debating with myself, I decided..oh well...if they get dirty I'll have to give them a bath again. My fault for giving them baths early...I thought it would take longer for some reason. So we went outside and jumped on the trampoline for 30 minutes. Emma would chase me around the tramp and try to catch me and Aubree just jumped around and when Emma caught me, I would fall over and say, "Oh No! You caught me!" and the fall itself made both Emma and Aubree fall over. They thought it was hilarious. Emma wanted me to do it again and again. I got tired so fast! Those little balls of energy! I hoped it would tire them so they would sleep well that night.

I tried to put them to bed but Emma thought she had to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed and watch a movie. After debating with myself...I decided to let them watch a short 30 minute movie even though it was 8:15 since they were a little wild and reading books did not seem to help since they would not stop squabbling over the books. After the movie ended, they went to bed with no fuss! I was so tired and went to bed shortly after.

Oh...Ben never came. He did not wake up until 12 PM. He slept a whopping 18 hours!! I ended up spending the night all by myself Saturday night. I was proud of myself for doing that. I do not like being alone especially at night. Ben knows this but he didn't get off til 11 and then he had a meeting at 9. He did not want to come all the way over to Katie's house and then go back to the other side of town for his meeting. So...our babysitting job ended up being my babysitting job.

To make the long story short, Katie and Kyle came home Sunday at noon. I went straight home and picked up Ben for church.

I have decided after this....I do not ever want to be a single mom! I am grateful for all the work you moms do and Katie...I look up to you so much! No wonder you always say you are tired! Being a mom is hard work and your girls are so cute it is worth it!

Anyway...I'm glad I still have a long while to prepare for being a mom and that I get them one at a time! I hope...